TOWN HIRES FIRE CHIEF

Fort Lauderdale Assistant Fire Chief Don DiPetrillo signed a contract Friday morning that will make him Davie's full-time fire chief beginning March 5.

DiPetrillo will earn $91,636 a year.

The contract still has to be approved by the Town Council during its meeting Wednesday night.

The agreement between the town and DiPetrillo comes less than two weeks after Dania Beach Deputy Fire Chief Michael Brown turned down an offer from the town because of personal reasons.

The contract is geared for stability in a department that hasn't seen it for at least a year.

The position has been vacant since summer, when Town Administrator Tom Willi demoted former chief Michael Donati after town investigators determined he did nothing while his deputy, Len DePaola, made racist and sexist comments to co-workers. Willi fired DePaola after 14 years on the job.

If DiPetrillo stays a while, he will be rewarded.

He will receive a 5 percent increase in salary on the anniversary of the date of his hire for the first three years of his employment.

Simultaneously, the town also will pay him annual "longevity payments" of at least 6 percent of his salary for those first three years of employment.

DiPetrillo also will be entitled to receive a severance pay of six months if he is terminated by the town, or a severance of four months if there is a mutual termination.

DiPetrillo has called Davie "a raw gem" and has said he is eager to infuse leadership into a department sorely lacking it.

DiPetrillo has been with the Fort Lauderdale Fire Department since 1973 and holds a bachelor's degree in public administration from Barry University.

According to the conditions of his contract, the town will pay for any future schooling related to his job that he may wish to pursue.

In another signed contract that will go before the council this Wednesday, Police Chief Dan George will receive a 5 percent increase in his salary and earn $96,245.10

Victor Greto can be reached at vgreto@sun-sentinel.com or 954-385-7912.